Ad Astra Per Aspera
by Elycat
Summary: A researcher's young daughter meets her father's latest experiment, and discovers that the android Data is more human than she had ever imagined possible. AU.


The first time she saw the android, its body was half disassembled and her father was adjusting the tangled wires in its arm.

She watched it closely. It tilted its head slightly.

"You must be Nina." Its voice was steady and unnervingly calm.

The girl stepped back. She could not meet its golden eyes, and stared helplessly at the place at its shoulder where pale synthetic skin gave way into complex circuitry. "H-hello…" she whispered.

She had been hearing her father talk about it for a year – the android was his new favorite project. Nina was the daughter of a cyberneticist, so to her, his enthusiasm was quite understandable. At that point, it was no different than any of the other numerous experiments and projects he had taken on. Growing up in a research institute with her scientifically-minded father, she was used to hearing him talk about his work; nothing could have warned her that this time was different.

Nothing could have prepared her for the fact that "it" was so… human.

Her father continued working silently, unconcerned by the fact that his pet project had struck up a conversation with his daughter. Nina fidgeted a little, uncomfortable, trying to think of something to say. "I guess… you must be Data," she concluded finally.

It nodded. "That is correct. I have… heard about you from your father. He is very proud of you."

Somehow, she couldn't imagine her father making small talk with the android while he was experimenting on it, but apparently so, because Data knew her name. "Oh… um…" Her eyes shifted. "I've… I've heard about you too, you know. Father was excited to have the chance to work on you."

"Was he?" Data tilted its head again, scrutinizing her. Nina flinched. "You do not need to be afraid. I would not harm you, and even if I wanted to…" It nodded at the forcefield restraints employed by Nina's father to keep it still during the difficult cybernetic refits. "I could not."

"I'm not afraid," Nina said quickly, a little defensively. She glanced again at the android's exposed circuitry, the stark reminder that she was speaking to an advanced machine and not an unusually-colored alien. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"I am incapable of feeling pain or emotion," the android informed her.

"Oh." Nina felt a little silly. Of course he was. _It_ was.

"Although it is my desire to experience life as humans do, thus far I am afraid my attempts have met with little success."

"That's sad," Nina said quietly, suddenly seeing the laboratory with new eyes. Sterile environment, constant experiments, forcefield restraints – who would feel human, being treated like this?

Of course, an android was a machine. Highly sophisticated technology, her father said. That was its greatest strength; the fact that it could not feel pain, that its judgment would never be clouded by human emotion. Now, Nina realized, she was suddenly seeing the matter from a new perspective, and it was rather jarring.

"I am incapable of—"

"…feeling sadness, I know," Nina interrupted him. "It doesn't stop me from feeling sad _for_ you, though. I guess it's a… human response?"

He nodded, almost smiled. "Perhaps you are right."

At this moment, Nina's father stepped back and deactivated the forcefield containing Data's left arm. "Try that." Data flexed his arm experimentally, and Nina's father nodded in approval. "Very good. That will be all for today, I think. I'll be back in the morning."

He deactivated the remainder of the forcefield. Almost immediately Data's legs gave way beneath him and he collapsed, crashing into the floor. Nina winced in sympathy. Her father knelt to examine him. "Your internal gyroscope needs to stabilize," he observed. "Your motor responses should improve soon, but your balance will be poor until then."

He got up, apparently unconcerned, leaving Data on the floor. "I will see you tomorrow, then," the android said, with some difficulty pulling himself into a sitting position against the wall.

Nina's father nodded his agreement, not even glancing at Data. "Let's go, Nina," he said, and took the girl's hand.

In the corridor outside, she looked up at her father. "I think he's nice."

"Data is a machine, Nina," her father responded, as she'd known he would. "It is intelligent, but still it is nothing more than a highly advanced piece of technology."

Silently, Nina disagreed.

* * *

For some reason, a couple of days later Nina decided to visit Data on her own. Her excuse came in the form of the week's math homework, some of which was eluding her despite the fact that her math and science classes usually came easily to her – Nina took after her father. She took her classes through remote, subspace sessions with a private tutor; living in the cybernetics division as she did, there were no other children her age. She had the vague impression that her education was unusually advanced for her age, after hearing a few remarks of her father and tutor when they hadn't realized she was listening, but the fact neither pleased nor worried her. It didn't seem worth worrying about, not when her only company was her tutor, her father and his staff.

Of course, now she had Data. Though she genuinely was attempting to spare her busy father in not asking for his help, she had to admit that part of her simply wanted to see the android again. He'd been nothing like what she had expected from her father's talk of him. Anyway, she figured that maybe even androids could get bored, and her appearance could be a diversion to him.

Data's quarters were attached directly to the laboratory for convenience's sake. When Nina stepped cautiously inside, the android was nowhere to be seen, so she stood just inside the door and waited.

The room was nothing like what she had expected. As Data had no need of sleep, there was no bed, but in every other way the room could easily have been a human's. Nina was struck by the sight of what was unmistakably a violin case, leaned carefully against the wall; surely Data didn't actually play an instrument?

Then a glitter caught her eye, and Nina turned to see a small case of medals hung on the wall. She walked slowly over, and let out a small gasp as she examined them. These were some of Starfleet's highest honors…

A noise behind her made her turn around, and she saw Data standing in another door and watching her with a slightly bemused expression. Nina suddenly saw his Starfleet uniform in a new light. "You're a Starfleet officer."

He nodded once, still looking a little confused, as if unsure why she was stating the obvious. "Yes."

Nina supposed she had never considered where Data ­– _Lieutenant Commander _Data – had come from before arriving in her father's laboratory, but somehow she hadn't expected the android to be a decorated officer. Now she was curious. "So why… are you here?"

"I was transferred," he said simply. "Starfleet's orders."

"Where were you stationed before?" Nina said curiously.

She saw the android actually frown, the expression as subtle as his smile but equally distinct. "I would prefer not to discuss it."

Nina nodded slowly, her face serious as she studied Data's. He looked almost unsettled, confused. "Where you were… you miss it, don't you?"

She had half-expected Data to contradict her, clarifying that he could feel no emotion and therefore could not miss his former comrades, but the android remained silent.

To mask the awkwardness of the moment, Nina held out the PADD that held her homework and in a rush explained her difficulties. The android and the girl sat side-by-side on the floor, as Data's quarters held no furniture, and she listened as he explained the problems that had eluded her. Her eyes widened as his surprisingly easy to understand explanations suddenly clarified her difficulties.

"I… oh!" She gasped in pleased surprise, taking the PADD from him and finishing the last problem. "It's really simple!" She turned to him, beaming. "Thanks!"

"You are a fast learner," Data told her, and there was the slight smile of satisfaction again. Recognizing high praise when she heard it, the girl ducked her head, a little embarrassed.

She continued visiting Data, sometimes asking for his help but more and more often simply visiting him to have conversations; she was beginning to genuinely appreciate the android's unique insight, and his occasionally naïve approach to humanity made her laugh. It made her wonder how her father could have so badly misjudged him.

She had expected him to object to her spending so much time with his favorite experiment, but to her surprise he seemed to almost encourage it. "Data is quite intelligent," he said. "You'll learn a lot from it."

Nina frowned at the pronoun. "Maybe you should try getting to know him better," she said.

Her father raised his eyebrows. "You've only known it for around a month… I've been working with it for over a year now, you know."

She sighed. "Never mind."

Usually, her visits to Data were on her own, but occasionally she went with her father to work as well. These times weren't as fun; Data was quieter, not as willing to talk with her as when she was alone, and when even she herself initiated the conversation her father was bound to interrupt with commands given to Data as he tested the android's functions. It was on one of these visits that Nina first saw Data deactivated.

"Okay, I'm going to need to run a few quick tests on your neural net," her father said, quickly tapping the touchscreen at his workstation. "Shouldn't take long." Without further warning, he reached forward and touched something at the android's side. Data slumped and fell back, his eyes still open. Nina flinched involuntarily, and her father looked at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Doesn't he mind?" Nina said with concern, looking at the lifeless android. "If someone was going to turn _me _off, I'd rather they ask first…"

A flicker of some expression flitted across her father's face, but he smoothed it easily. "This is a standard procedure, Nina. Nothing to worry about. It'll be back online in a couple of minutes."

And sure enough, Data was soon sitting up and easily answering her father's questions, but Nina couldn't shake the feeling that had settled into the pit of her stomach when she saw him… turned off. Like a, well, machine. Uneasily, Nina realized that her father was correct about Data, but she knew she still couldn't be wrong. Data _was_ more than a collection of circuitry, that was certain.

* * *

As the weeks progressed, Nina began to notice that in spite of Data's efficiency and coordination, he occasionally displayed small idiosyncrasies – an apparent memory confusion, or lack of motor control that was odd in an otherwise perfect artificial being. Every single time it happened, Data would apologize earnestly as if he had committed a grave offense. Nina didn't like to mention it to him; it didn't seem fair to emphasize these small mistakes, especially not when humans could make far worse. Her father did not share her unconcern, however, and she discovered that much of his work on Data's neural net was in attempt to fix these errors in Data's system. He had met with little success.

It was several months after Nina had initially befriended Data that she began having problems of her own. Irritating headaches became increasingly frequent, as well as the occasional bout of dizziness or light-headedness. At first, she thought nothing of her symptoms, thinking she must have a simple cold, but her headaches became more and more frequent and Data grew increasingly preoccupied with her wellbeing.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked her for what must have been the sixth time. Nina sighed.

"Of course, never better," she said, trying hard not to lose her patience, and trying to hold back the urge to hold a hand to her forehead. The truth was that the back of her head was throbbing, but she privately felt that Data was blowing the entire matter out of proportion, and didn't want to concern him further.

"Have you told your father about your symptoms?" Data said, apparently not convinced by the lie. "He will be worried about you."

"Of course, that's exactly why I haven't told him," Nina said, and sighed again. "You worry way too much, Data, but _he_ has way too much on his plate anyway, what with his work on you… and the assistant director's been badgering him again lately…"

"I cannot 'worry,'" Data said. "Still, I admit that your wellbeing has been a matter of particular importance to me since your initial complaints."

The girl smiled at him, patting his shoulder. "I'm fine," she said gently. "Nothing's going to happen to me."

Without warning, her headache surged. Nina let out a faint cry and leaned forward, wincing. Data started forward, supporting her, his face written with concern. She tried to struggle back to her feet, but another wave of pain and dizziness caused her to collapse.

Her memories past that point were fuzzy. She remembered Data catching her before she hit the floor, and some time after that – it was hard to tell when – her father arrived. She remembered him shouting at Data, the first time she'd seen him lose his temper, yelling, "What did you do? What happened to her?" Then her father's arms were around her, he was telling her not to be afraid, and abruptly she lost consciousness.

Nina woke several weeks after she initially fell ill. Her father was leaning over her, anxious, and when she opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him he sagged with visible relief. "You're okay," he whispered. "Thank goodness."

Gingerly she sat up. Her father stiffened, but the motion gave her no trouble. "How long…?"

"Two and a half weeks. I thought I'd lost you."

"What happened?" she wanted to know.

He shook his head. "You were ill. Fortunately, I've been assured that the possibility of a relapse is almost nil… still, I want you to rest for a while now, all right? Just to be on the safe side."

"Okay." She didn't feel particularly weak or tired now, but the idea of being so pampered was irresistible. She snuggled back into the covers.

Her father strode to the door, telling the computer to dim her lights. He turned around and smiled at her. "I'll bring you something to eat later. Try to get some rest now." When he turned away she thought he'd shut the door behind him, but before he did he added, "And I don't want you visiting Data again."

The door shut. "What?" Nina sat up abruptly, suddenly angry and no longer wanting to rest in the slightest. "But he's an android! He couldn't have gotten me sick!"

But her father was already gone. Nina turned her back to the door and pulled the covers over her head. He couldn't do this to her. He wouldn't take away the only friend she'd ever made at the Daystrom Institute. The girl fumed silently under the covers, and resolved that this would not be the last time she saw Data.

* * *

A few days later, her father pronounced her well enough to get up, but he kept an unusually close eye on her following this and it was a while before Nina could slip away to visit Data, despite his wishes. She took the precaution of removing her combadge and leaving it in her room, just in case her father decided to check on her whereabouts. At least there wasn't much chance of his returning before she did; he had left early for a meeting, and they almost always tended to go late. Safely untraceable, she slipped into the corridors feeling rather pleasantly like a fugitive.

Data was surprised to see her, even more than when she had first shown up uninvited in his quarters. "I was under the impression that your father had forbidden you from visiting."

"I know…" Nina snorted and sat down on the floor, crossing her arms in annoyance. "And really, Data, I don't care! He can't just take away my only friend like that. I'm going to keep talking to you whether he likes it or not."

There was the android's half-smile again. "It has been a long time since someone referred to me as a 'friend.'"

"Of course you are. Just because you're an android…" Nina trailed off, frowning. "My father is a _jerk,"_ she said heatedly. "He took you away, didn't he? From a starship, or wherever it was you had been before… into this laboratory where no one even considers what _you_ want, or thinks of you as a person. He hardly even looks at you when he's talking to you!"

Data sat next to her, and was silent for several moments. "I believe Commander Maddox is a good man," he said finally, slowly. It was the first time he'd used her father's name, Nina realized. "Perhaps he is misguided, but in attempting to study me he is truly doing what he believes best for the Federation and for the advancement of cybernetics. Unfortunately, my primary concern is that he does not have enough experience in working with positronic functions… I am afraid his early attempts have left my neural net damaged, and my malfunctions have resisted his attempts to repair them."

Nina stiffened. Data's occasional loss of motor control, his unwillingness to talk about the past, it made sense. "Can you… remember _anything?"_

"Images. Fragmented images, and little more. There are days when I can remember certain names, but for the most part… they elude me." Data stood and walked over to the console screen on the wall, and entered a few commands. "These are images I have downloaded from my positronic matrix, in an attempt to preserve them should further malfunctions occur."

Nina watched, fascinated, as he showed her image after image of his former crew. His captain, experience and confidence in his face… a bearded commander with an amused smile… a lovely woman with kind eyes and dark, curly hair… a black man standing near a warp core with a reflective visor hiding his eyes… a red-haired female doctor, laughing… a young man perhaps a few years older than Nina, grinning eagerly… a serious-faced Klingon, arms crossed and back held straight.

Data lingered on each image before shutting off the screen and crossing the room to the shelf that held some of his most treasured belongings. He picked up a deactivated hologram and took it back to Nina, sitting down again beside her. "And this…" When he turned it on, it projected the image of a blonde woman with her hair cut boyishly short, smiling. He gazed at it, his face serious. "She was important to me."

Nina looked from the image of Data's forgotten friend to the android's face, unable to speak and not knowing what to say. "Data, I…" She swallowed. "You know, I have memory problems too sometimes, you know? I can't remember much beyond the last few years, it's kind of annoying, especially when Father…" Remembering her father made her stop short, thinking of what he had done to her friend, and she swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. With an effort, she stopped the babble of words. "What I mean is… Data, I'm sorry." She touched his arm. "I had no idea…"

"As you have often told me in the past, I did not want you to worry." This brought a slight smile to her face, and Data put his hand over hers. "Do not misunderstand me, Nina," he said softly. "I do not want you to give up on your father. Remember that he wants the best for you."

She took a deep breath. "If you can forgive him… I guess I might, too." Nina drew back, feeling suddenly on the verge of tears, then threw herself forward and hugged the startled android fiercely. "Thank you."

As she left the room, she turned around suddenly. "And I promise you, Data, I'll help you find your friends again. You won't be stuck at Daystrom forever."

* * *

When Nina returned to the quarters she shared with her father, she found to her great shock that he was already home. Guiltily she slipped in as quietly as she could; he was in his office, apparently answering a communication from the sound of it, so perhaps he wouldn't notice that she had been gone. However, the sound of shouting distracted her. Her curiosity overcame her worries, and she snuck into the room.

The older woman on the screen looked furious, her eyes bright with tears. "I'm tired of your rationalizations," she was saying. "Your superiors gave me the same stale reasons. Commander, this is my _son_ you have cooped up in that lab of yours! I can't allow you to go on treating him like an _experiment!"_

Nina's father laughed nervously. "Dr. Tainer," he said. "I understand your concern for the android, given your involvement in its construction, but surely you are exaggerating. Now, if you might be willing to assist me, I am sure that with your insight I would be able to significantly reduce any possible _damage_ to the android…"

"His name is Data," Tainer said flatly. "Commander, I wonder. How is it that you are the only person who has met him and recognized him not for _who_ he is, but only for _what_ he is? I spoke with Captain Picard recently while trying to trace Data's whereabouts. They still miss him, did you know? It's been almost two years since that dreadful trial, and there has been no communication from him, no updates… Commander Riker is convinced he's killed his good friend, being forced to testify on your behalf as he was! Can't you see what you've done to them?"

"However upset they are at Data's loss, it is irrelevant. Louvois's ruling still applies; Data is Starfleet property, and at the current time it is under my jurisdiction. As for communication, it was decided that it would be best for Data not to have any contact outside of the Institute. However, I am sure you could pass on my message to the Captain that his former second officer is still functioning properly."

"I never… believed Starfleet to be capable of this," Dr. Tainer said slowly, glaring daggers at Maddox. "A decorated officer, a valued member of the flagship's crew… and you're holding him prisoner here, denying him even the right to communications."

"Dr. Tainer, this conversation is over!" Maddox snapped. "You are being irrational! Data is a machine, and for all intents and purposes it is currently my property!"

"Data is my son!" shouted Dr. Tainer. "How would you feel, Commander, if someone decided_ she_ was property and took her away from you?" She wasn't looking at him now, gazing straight past Maddox at Nina, who was standing just inside the door. Nina's father whipped around, his eyes widening when he saw her. "How would you feel if someone took her away, _experimented_ on her, treated her like a mere piece of fancy equipment?" Maddox visibly flinched. Tainer's eyes narrowed. "You're wrong, Commander. I am not being irrational… you are the one making excuses for yourself."

The channel disconnected. Nina's father sank back into his chair, running a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted.

"Father?" Nina said uncertainly, slowly walking up to him. "Who was that?"

"Dr. Juliana Tainer," he said. "She was… the wife of Dr. Noonien Soong, Data's creator, and aided him in its construction." He sighed. "I did not expect her to react so violently to this. I am merely trying to continue her husband's work, studying his masterpiece."

"But I think she's right," Nina said quietly. Her father looked at her sharply. "Giving Data a chance, I mean. Treating him as a person, not just another experiment." And, perhaps, letting him contact his old crew, she thought. She had to remember the names she'd heard Dr. Tainer refer to… Captain Picard, Commander Riker. More pieces to the puzzle.

Her father sighed heavily. "Nina, what am I supposed to do?" he said. "When I first proposed this experiment, there was a hearing… Data's former captain objected to my orders, and attempted to contest the decision. He failed. Data _is_ legally property, and I have an obligation… to study it and ensure that Dr. Soong's groundbreaking contribution to cybernetics is not lost. But…"

Abruptly, he pulled Nina into an embrace. Confused, feeling out of her depth, Nina hugged him back; and despite everything else, she still felt safe and comforted by her father's arms.

* * *

Nina's father was tense and on edge for the next few days, and she dared not visit Data again so soon. At first she thought it was the argument with Juliana that had unsettled her father, and she had to admit that the thought made her rather pleased. If Dr. Tainer's words were making him question how he had been treating Data, so much the better. Soon, however, she realized there was something else going on. Juliana was not the only person contacting Maddox about his work.

The girl was getting up late at night for some water when she heard voices in the living room of their quarters. Peeking around the door from the shadows, she realized that her father was speaking to a man she didn't recognize: a Starfleet admiral by his uniform. "You have already exceeded the period of time you requested," he was saying. "Commander, I'm _ordering_ you to relinquish this android for study by the council." Nina's breath caught in her throat.

"Admiral Halftel," Maddox said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "I've been telling you that it's not ready… _I'm _not ready. This project is nowhere near completed, and interference will only delay my progress."

"You have already made more progress than anyone expected you would," Admiral Halftel said. "It's precisely why we want so badly to examine your preliminary results. You do understand, don't you, the significance of your experiments to cybernetic progress? I believe that was your reason for so valiantly contesting Captain Picard himself over your right to initiate this project."

"Of course it was. This project is my life's work…" Nina's father looked up at the admiral almost desperately. "Do you deny that I'm the Institute's foremost authority on positronic functions? I'm telling you, it's too soon."

"You're one of the Institute's most brilliant minds, but I'm beginning to have reason to believe your judgment is clouded in this," Halftel said. "How many times have you put me off? The council on cybernetics is growing impatient. Three days, Commander. No more."

Maddox was left frozen in the middle of the room as the admiral swept out. Nina knew she should return to bed without giving herself away, but such was her emotional state that she hardly thought of the consequences of being caught eavesdropping. She tore into the room and threw herself into her father's arms. "Father? Is it true?" she said breathlessly. He stiffened. "You're not really going to send Data away, are you? You can't let them! Who knows what would happen to him?"

Nina's father sank down onto the floor with her and held her tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Nina, I'm so, so sorry." He swallowed hard, and fell silent.

"So you _are_ letting them take him," Nina said softly, her voice quivering. "I thought… I thought that maybe, after your experiment was finished, he'd be allowed to leave… he could go and find his old ship, and have a normal life again… but he's not, is he? He's going to be stuck in a _laboratory_ the rest of his life…"

Nina's father drew back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Nina, you don't understand. It's… it's complicated… I…" He was unable to continue, hugging Nina tightly again. "I'm sorry," he murmured again, rocking his daughter back and forth. "I'm so sorry." Nina sobbed into his shoulder, clinging to her father as if her heart would break.

"Promise me," Nina's father said, his voice breaking a little. "Promise me you'll forgive me, whatever happens."

"I… I will." Nina nestled her head against his shoulder as she had done so many times before. "I-it's not your fault…" A sob caught in her throat as she spoke, knowing it was, but she couldn't bear seeing him so broken over this. She'd be strong… and a slight hope rose in her heart, wondering if at least _some_ of his despair stemmed from his realizing he had wronged Data… if, perhaps, he had come to recognize some of the humanity she had always seen in the android.

* * *

Three days. It was a death knell in the back of Nina's mind, always haunting her thoughts. Knowing that these few days were probably her last chance to see the android, she tried to find some way to visit him, but to her grief and frustration she was unable to slip away. At last, salvation came from a most unexpected source.

"I need you to take this to Data," her father said, handing her a small memory chip. "Tell him it is for… an emergency."

Nina's eyes lit up, and she did not overlook the pronoun. Not it, _him_. "I will!"

She felt his eyes on her as she left the room, heading down the corridor at a run and nearly knocking over a couple of researchers as she did. At last she burst into Data's quarters, catching the calm android by surprise yet again. It was, she felt, a special talent of hers.

"Nina!" Data's eyes widened, and he stepped forward. "Is something wrong?"

She held her father's chip in the air, wavered for a couple of moments, then broke down and hugged the android as tightly as she could. "I'm going to miss you," she said tearfully.

He returned her embrace. "So you have found out."

"Yeah." She nestled her head against his shoulder just as she did with her father, finding the android to be just as comforting. "I wish I could do something… but even Father has to follow orders. Maybe… maybe I'll be able to visit you. Or maybe they'll let you stay in the Daystrom Institute while they carry out their tests…" She cringed and held on tighter, thinking of what could happen. "You'll be all right, won't you?" she whispered.

"I will be fine," Data assured her, and then fell silent. Nina drew back.

"And I have something to tell you," she said, remembering. "Your old crew… I found out some names. Captain Picard, Commander Riker." His eyes widened, and she smiled. "And someone else, not from your crew, Juliana Tainer. She's your mother, Data."

"Nina," Data said softly, almost disbelieving.

"So now you have to track them down," Nina said. "See, I promised you. There's no excuse not to find them now!" She found her eyes were filling with tears, and blinked them away, determined not to break down in front of him. "Oh yeah! This is from my father." She held the chip out to him. "For emergencies, he said. Maybe it'll help."

Data took it from her, tilting his head slightly as he examined it with a slightly bemused look on his face. Then his expression cleared. "I see," he said. "Thank you. Tell your father… I greatly appreciate his gift."

"I will." Nina looked up into Data's golden eyes, feeling her brave persona evaporating. "I don't want you to leave… Data, I'm so scared."

He put his hands on her shoulders, as her father had done. "Do not be afraid," he said, and Nina heard a deep earnestness in his voice. "For my sake and for your father's, be strong."

She nodded gravely, caught up by Data's seriousness. "I promise."

They embraced one last time, and then broke apart. Nina walked slowly to the door, looking over her shoulder and not wanting to let Data out of her sight. "Goodbye, Data," she said, standing at the threshold and not wanting to step across.

He nodded to her with the same quick, precise motion she had grown to love. "Farewell, Nina."

* * *

It was the morning of the third day since Admiral Halftel's visit, and Nina was restless. She wanted badly to see Data one last time, but was reluctantly following her father's orders to stay in their quarters. So she sat curled up in a chair in their living room, attempting to read a book and completely failing. Maddox was in a terrible state, shaking and pacing their quarters aimlessly. Nina looked up at him as he passed, beginning to be as worried about him as she was about Data.

"Father," she said softly.

He sat down next to her, looking at the floor and breathing deeply as if trying to control himself. Then he looked into her eyes, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "Nina," he said. "There's something… I need to tell you."

As she watched him with expectant, trusting eyes, he suddenly broke down, shaking with sobs as tears streamed down his face. Nina's eyes widened, alarmed. "F-father, it's okay!" she said, trembling a little. "I forgive you, remember? I forgive you for everything… Data doesn't blame you, either…"

"No… no, you have no idea…" As he spoke, the door chimed. Maddox jerked as if struck, and tightened his grip on Nina. "Listen. You don't understand…"

"Father," she said softly, "what's happening? What are they going to do with Data?"

The door continued chiming. Maddox made no move to answer it.

"You're still misunderstanding me… and it's my fault for misleading you all this time," Nina's father said urgently, and the door slid open as the man behind it lost all patience and overrode the locks. "Nina… this isn't about Data…"

Admiral Halftel strode in confidently, and Nina's father jumped to his feet jerkily, his hand still on his daughter. A couple of security personnel stood outside the door. "Are you ready?" the man said to Maddox.

"N-no," Nina's father said. He was shaking, and swallowed hard. "I'm… I'm not going through with this, Admiral."

"You have no choice!" Halftel snapped. "It's out of your hands, Commander." He turned to Nina. "It's time to leave."

Nina curled up tighter, tilting her head a little in unconscious mimicry of Data. "What?" She looked up at her father. "Father, I don't understand…"

Maddox's commanding officer shot him a glare. "Pull yourself together," he snapped. "You're far too emotionally involved in this project to be of much use, do you realize that? And now this… creation… appears to be even more substandard than I expected. You could be suspended for this, Commander."

"No!" Maddox stepped in front of Nina, but Halftel shouldered him aside impatiently and grabbed the girl's arm, pulling her to her feet. "Stop!"

"Your involvement here is over," the admiral said coldly to Maddox. "I _will_ be filing a report on your insubordination."

"Father?" Nina looked desperately at her father as she was led away. He seemed incapable of speech. "Daddy!"

Her attempts to resist the man holding her amounted to nothing, and the last thing she saw before the doors closed behind them was her father's stricken expression. She turned a glare on her captor, attempting to hide her terror with a façade of anger. "What's going on? Where are you taking me?"

He said nothing, quickening his pace, apparently not thinking her worth talking to. Nina, too scared to think properly, tried unsuccessfully to stem her tears and continued tugging against Halftel's firm grip. Suddenly, a familiar voice made her look up.

"Stop."

Halftel stopped in his tracks. Data stood in their path, holding a phaser that was pointed straight at the man holding Nina.

"Let her go, Admiral," he said calmly. "I do not wish to harm you, but I will use force if necessary."

The man's eyes widened as he saw the phaser. "Where did you get that?" he said, taken aback. "You aren't authorized to be out here."

"Admiral," Data said, his voice dangerously soft.

Halftel stepped back. "Detain it," he snapped to the two security personnel accompanied them. The two men drew their phasers, but were not fast enough to best Data. He stunned both before they could fire.

Data stepped forward. "I did warn you," he said, and pulled Nina from the man's grasp before firing. The admiral dropped, unconscious, before he could say a word in protest.

Nina clung to Data, shaking. "Data," she whispered. "What's happening?"

"You must trust me, Nina," she heard the android say, and then everything went black.

* * *

When she awoke, she was lying flat on her back in a dimly lit room. Slowly, Nina sat up, looking around and recognizing the area as an out-of-the-way shuttle bay. Data was sitting next to her, watching her steadily. "I owe you an explanation," he said, seeing she was awake.

"Data, where are we? What's happening?" Nina drew her knees up to her chest tightly, scared. "I thought they were taking you, but…"

"I apologize for misleading you, but I thought it best to follow your father's lead and protect you." He frowned. "I see now, of course, we were wrong. Nina…" Data spoke slowly, weighing his words carefully. "The android to be taken for study was never me. They were speaking of your father's greatest accomplishment… the android he constructed and modeled after Dr. Soong's work. You, Nina."

"Me?" Nina whispered. She swallowed hard. "But… I can't be… I have emotions. I have memories from before Father ever started studying you…"

"When Commander Maddox first constructed you, Nina, you were similar to a small child. You understood nothing, needing to be carefully taught and programmed… I aided your father as he instructed and perfected you. In a sense, I watched you grow up." Data took her trembling hand in his. "Maddox had made a number of errors with me, but with you he managed to improve upon my design in many ways. You were… you are so human, Nina. You made him uncomfortable. Maddox was a scientist, and he was used to viewing androids as advanced computers rather than artificial, sentient beings. He decided, in the end, to erase your memories of your early life and implant false memories… causing you to believe you were his daughter, having grown up in the Daystrom Institute. His method was not perfect, and your false memory contained significant gaps, but surprisingly they did not bother you. You were willing to accept them as they were."

Nina's mind reeled, and she was unable to speak. Data's grip on her tightened as if he was afraid she might faint; then she realized that, if she truly was an android, that was impossible. "What… what about when I got sick?" she said faintly. "Androids can't get sick…" She looked at him, suddenly wondering something. "He acted as if you were the cause… was it some sort of virus?" She realized, numbly, that she was already beginning to accept the fact that her father had built her and then lied to her all her life – which, she thought, must be less than two years long.

Data shook his head. "It was slightly more complicated than that. Your emotional and mental developments occurred much more quickly than I believed possible. Your father was, at first, pleased with your progress… but emotions are not easy to implement into an artificial mind. Your neural net nearly suffered a complete cascade failure, and your father believed our friendship to be the cause."

Nina took a deep breath, curling up and resting her forehead on her knees. Surprisingly, she realized she didn't feel like crying. She wasn't sure what she felt about this at all. It was going to take a while to sink in. The girl felt Data's hand on her back, comforting and supportive, and it gave her the strength to sit up and look at him again. "How long… have I been alive?" she said, slowly.

"Last year, when we first met," Data said. "That was the first day your father had activated your artificial memories."

Nina nodded, slowly. It seemed impossible. Though her memories did not extend very far into her childhood, they still seemed real to her. She recalled her life with her father before Data's arrival, his showing her a picture of her supposedly deceased mother, his excitement when Data was transferred to his command… it would take her a very long time to realize that none of it had ever happened. Her _real_ childhood, she thought, was probably lost to her forever.

Data interrupted her thoughts. "I understand that this is difficult to comprehend," he said gently. "However, it is extremely important that we leave the Daystrom Institute. The council on cybernetics is not likely to let us leave easily… legally, we are both the property of Starfleet. It is best for us to leave now, while the Institute is still under considerable chaos."

"All right." Nina took a deep breath, trying to control herself. There would be time to work all of this out, later. Right now, action was more important. "Where's Father? We can't leave without him." Even if her relation to him was all a lie, she still loved him. Nina remembered his attempts to defy Starfleet's orders concerning her, and realized he must have genuinely cared for her as well, though she was an android and not his biological child.

"Nina, your father is dead," Data said softly, as if wanting to break this to her gently. He must have known there was no way that was possible. Nina stiffened, her eyes widening. "After I deactivated you earlier, I went back for him, but unfortunately I was too late. I found him shortly after he committed suicide."

"No!" Nina cried, and Data pulled her close. She clung to the android desperately, shuddering and sobbing but dry-eyed, feeling she could not cry anymore. His presence was comforting to her, the only comforting thing she had left; everything else had fallen apart. "Where…" she whispered, unmoving. "What will we do now?"

"I do not know," Data admitted. "But I promise you… I will not let anything happen to you."

Nina looked up at Data, an idea suddenly forming in her mind. "We'll find your memories," she said softly. "Juliana Tainer… your mother. We could go find her. And your old crew – Captain Picard, Commander Riker – I don't know who they are, Data, but they cared for you… they would help us. I know they would."

Data opened a panel in his left arm and withdrew the chip that Commander Maddox had given him the day before. "It contains your father's Starfleet access codes," he said, seeing Nina staring. "I was able to rescue you because of this… now, I believe it will allow us to borrow one of these shuttlecraft."

He stood up, and Nina followed, holding his hand tightly. The android was all she had now, and she wasn't going to let him go.

The two of them boarded a shuttle. Data took the pilot's seat with the trained ease of a Starfleet officer; he clearly had not forgotten everything. "Preparing to launch," he said, and glanced over at Nina. "Are you ready?"

Ready. To begin a new life with him… a fugitive, an android, a different person than she thought she was. Nina nodded, took a deep breath, and tremulously smiled.

"Yes."

* * *

_Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Louvois had ruled against my father that day… what would their lives look like now, his and Data's? In that universe, wherever it is, Father is probably still alive… Data's memories are still intact, and he is still serving with Captain Picard's crew. And I, most likely, was never constructed at all._

_But those decisions were beyond our control… and this is the universe we now live in. Somehow, somehow, I am convinced: we will make our way in it, Data and I. We will not fall to the forces that oppose us._

_We will make a life for ourselves._


End file.
